These Woven Hands
by Dreamer Ginny in the Clouds
Summary: Once upon a time, fairy tales for Harry and Ginny, and then Harry and Hermione came true, this Lily Luna Potter and Rose Weasley knew. But when their brother's can't tell them the stories' end, they wonder what happened to thse woven hands.
1. Unexpected Guests

**Disclaimer:** If I had a nickel for every time some came up to me and gave me a pat on the back and said, "Hey! Great job with the Harry Potter series! I love it!" I'd be a very, very nickeless lady as I am right now.

These Woven Hands by Dreamer Ella in the Clouds

Chapter One  
Unexpected Guests

James Sirius Potter had grown very accustomed to the trips to and fro on the Hogwarts Express. The hustle and bustle of King's Cross station had never been so familiar, and now, looking back, he realized that this winter break during his seventh year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry would be one of the last times he was to be getting off at this very station.

His face was sullen, as he'd spent most of the ride in silence instead of chattering about what he'd like for Christmas with his friends. Perhaps it was because of this, this… _dullness_ that made it seem like there was such a striking contrast in seeing him standing next to Lily Luna Potter. Her eyes were full of life as she twirled around in her plaid red skirt and gray sweater, her homemade scarf fluttering in the indoor draft with her third year aura of innocence and purity floating about her. He looked down at himself and frowned at his blandly boring jeans and black fleece jacket. His features creased as they felt the dim monotonous stare his eyes had come to fancy, and the way his glasses sloped down his nose as though they could no longer bear to be on a face as pathetic as his own. James envied his sister sometimes.

The media had stopped somewhere in his third, maybe fourth year. Harry, his father, had never favoured the limelight. He had once described it to him, sometime when he was younger, as a sort of annoying fluorescent bulb that flickered so fast that all you felt was the headache and the pain in your eyes. James Sirius hasn't liked it from the beginning. He'd seen much more of the camera's click then Lily, as the Potters had been a very sought out family well after the second Wizarding war had ended.

Now, instead of a crowd of people they'd only heard about in the wretched _Daily Prophet_, as Grandfather James had come to call it, there only stood four figures, the younger mirroring the elder. Lily Evans, James Potter Sr., Ginevra (Ginny) Molly Weasley and Harry James Potter all stood, each with their own unique smile, or in James' case, content stare, gazing at the children before them.

James Sirius flinched slightly as Lily Luna immediately sprang forward and into the slightly ajar arms of her Mother. He watched tentatively as Ginny brushed through her daughter's scarlet hair with her long, manicured fingernails. "How have you been, sweetheart?" she asked softly.

"Fine Mum," her daughter breathed into her shoulder. They giggled and reluctantly parted from one another's touch.

His Grandmother, Lily Evans, soon came to the girl and watched as her face lit up with a pleasurable grin before she lost herself in her Grandmother's fine, emerald green robes. "It's been so long," she said fondly, also stroking through the girls' long hair as Ginny had done, "I've missed you, Lily Moon."

James Sirius admired his Grandmother's love. He too would receive his hug in due time, but was still envious at her tangible affections for her Granddaughter. However, the feeling was discarded when his Father jogged over to him and hugged him, Potter tradition.

"Hey," his Dad mumbled wearily. He smelled faintly of firewhiskey, but James ignored this.

"Hi Dad," he whispered back, loving his Father more and more every moment.

They parted quickly, neither having much to say to the other at the moment and enjoying the roar of steam engines in the background.

James eyed James Sr. as he carefully kept his distance from the quintet, not caring to go near his once dearest and once daughter-in-law, of whom would have most certainly not let him near his Granddaughter, not like it would've been much better to be next to the son and Grandson who scorned him so, he was certain. His face was old and worn from years of his job as an Auror and his shoulders sagged from the weight of his winter cloak.

Still, despite what he had become, Lily Luna broke away from the small exchange and strode over to him. James Sirius knew Lily didn't care. When she looked at her Grandfather, she did not see the old and withered man, but saw the fantastic and bright one who had once stood in his very shoes, and whom had stayed hidden in James Sirius' view for a long while now. The same man who had fallen so desperately in love with their Grandmother and made her laugh at the yearly Potter Christmas parties.

At first, James Sr. stood speechless as the girl that was so small compared to he, clung to his chilled bones. James Sirius' and Harry's eyed narrowed warningly, as he tentatively wrapped an arm around her, very aware of the alarmed looks on the other Potter females' faces. Her nose snuggled into him as she felt her Grandfather liven somehow. All of them knew Lily Luna was very good at seeing good in everyone, something she certainly hadn't acquired over night, but still could not comprehend as to why she would still like to hug her Grandfather after the awful things he'd done—especially James Sirius.

He looked to his left to see Ginny come up next to his Father, both watching with worried expressions as their daughter talked excitedly to her grandfather about the school year's trips to Hogsmeade. For a moment, Ginevra's hand sneaks its way into Harry's, something she'd done out of pure habit, and James knew exactly what his Father was thinking. He was certain that a chill were running down his spine at this very moment as he recalled the wedding band that had once graced his ring finger. James said nothing when Harry uneasily slid his hand away from hers, moving slightly to the right. Ginny looked somewhat hurt, but went back to watching Lily Luna without question.

They'd briskly passed through the busy train station and its hustle and bustle before they'd found a Portkey that could take them home. He had grown used to Portkeys, as well as he'd become accustomed to King's Cross station, but often times did not land on his feet.

James Sirius had been very silent on the walk to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, his Father's hand guiding him most of the way. Even Lily Luna hadn't much to say this time around. They'd all grown a little more and needed time to think. And so did they get their time to think.

Except, in Lily Luna's mind—James was certain of this—thinking wasn't always the best policy. Thoughts were like temptations, teasing her every wit to snatch them up and tear them to shreds, and James knew it. Perhaps, this may have been why he feared it may have been better if she hadn't thought for once, perhaps thought was best restricted in seclusion, but maybe, just maybe, fate had something beyond the challenges to come for a simple thought such as the one that has so surreptitiously snuck its way into her innocent mind at this very moment. Maybe.

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James lazily glanced out of the synthetic window in number twelve Grimmauld Place's grand library. It was a relatively new addition to the house, one that was not there when the ancient members of the Black family created it, but still fit with the age old books and dusty shelves in the library.

He marvelled at the way the window was cold and had somehow managed to get blurry from the heat reacting to the cold, or was it the cold reacting to the heat? (He hadn't paid much attention in his Muggle science classes back in primary school to remember which. It was much too long ago to recall with full certainty, anyway.), despite the fact that it was nowhere near the outside. James was amazed at how something not natural to a specific place could fit so perfectly, even if it belonged somewhere else.

"What are you staring at, James?" asked Lily Luna, abruptly shaking him out of his thoughts. She rounded on his chair, seating herself next to him and his Charms homework.

James blinked, still a bit taken away by her suddenness and also a bit bemused as to how she could just sit there with her head propped up on her elbows smiling the day away and said, "Nothing, really," in the exact tone that he knew would get Lily Luna going on just about everything in the world.

Strangely enough, however, she did the exact opposite. Lily simply smiled and shrugged, as though she knew the exact emotions that were running through him right then and there. James Sirius was pretty sure she'd been doing the same sort of thing in her room all morning considering that his Mother was out on a business meeting for the day.

They sat in a still silence, only interrupted by the constant in sync _tick, tick, tick_ of the clocks scattered about the house. Lily's hand waved about the air as her head flopped over to the hand still propped on the table by her elbow. "Do you think Mum was happy yesterday?" she questioned, emerald eyes glazed over with something James didn't see often.

James' furrow crinkled as he thought about it. He pushed the bridge of his glasses up his nose and replied, "I guess so. She didn't seem unhappy or anything of that sort." He was unsure of what she was asking, or why she was asking it for that matter.

Lily eased back in her seat, emerald gems softening from the work of thought. In a calm, barely audible voice she spoke. "Why did they divorce, James? Why?" The grief in those simple words made him shiver slightly.

He stared back at her, dumbfounded by it all. _Why?_ He thought, _She was there, she should know wh…_ something occurred to him and he apologetically glinted back at her. He then straightened up in his chair, the self-taking notebook on his lap sliding down his legs to the floor.

"James?" Lily asked after the both of them had spent a good deal of time in the silence. James had been staring out the window consumed in a wandering mind once again, trying to ignore his little sister's worried facial expression.

James blinked, his eyelids falling slightly. "It's a very long story, Lily."

She stared back at him, scarlet furrows tweaked with curiosity and worriment. "I can manage," she concluded. James watched as a warm smile graced his little sister's features, and he smiled, too. How could he not grin while looking at such bright green eyes and fair skin? He leant back in his chair; his arms warmed by a navy sweater went to rest at the chair's arms, fingers playing with a quill he'd picked up from the table before letting them disappear under the table.

"I don't know the whole story," he began, "but I do know a lot of it. We can ask Teddy, Victoire, Lysander, Sirius, and maybe even Draco and Astoria, for all the things I can't fill in," he said thoughtfully, giving his head a quick bob up and down just to reassure himself that his idea was genuine. Lily Luna gave a tentative nod as well. "I think it started in the summer. July 25th; on their wedding anniversary…"

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Lily Luna had been very fussy because of the heat that morning. She'd whined and sobbed in protest when Mum insisted she should wear the frilly white dress made up with lots of fabric Grandma Lily had given her. I wasn't very happy either in what most would have considered a winter set of dress robes over a muggle's business suit, but I knew how to keep my complaints to a minimum.

The mass of people that came over for the anniversary dinner didn't help much. There were to many people crowding the downstairs and some of the upstairs of the house for the cooling charms set on the house of Black to take decent effect. I didn't even know half the people that crowded number twelve Grimmauld place that day, but I did know that Mum was not happy. For some strange reason, Mum was very uneasy and not her usual kind, motherly self and she made me sit in the family room, on the couch while Lily Luna got to stand at her side as guests of all shapes and sizes entered. I watched as all the women cooed at my sister's antics. She was four years old but she was so tiny she could have been a two-year-old if not for the fact that she could talk and walk about like any four-year-old could.

I was very relieved when someone my own age came to give me company. Well, Teddy Lupin wasn't exactly my own age, but he was close enough. His parents, Remus and Tonks, were one of the first to come and straight away, Teddy sprang towards me and winked. After I said my hellos to Remus and Nymphadora, who scolded me for calling her that, the both of us ran up to my room.

"It's so hot in here," he complained once we arrived at my tidy room. The cooling charms were better up here, but I noticed Teddy shortening his hair some and turning it green instead of its usual blue to keep himself refreshed.

He looked through my room at first, commenting on my Quidditch posters ("Their Seeker is terrible, but Mum says they've got the best beaters since Ireland.") and the Gryffindor scarf my Dad had given to me ("Is that a real Gryffindor scarf?"). I was pleased with myself for cleaning my room like my Mother had ordered me to do "the muggle way" because it seemed to impress Teddy, even though he'd seen it dozens of times prier to that day. It meant a lot of impress someone four years older than you to me.

I smiled before remembering something I had in my drawer that I'd wanted to show him. "Hey, Teddy?"

"Hm?"

"You know, you were there at Mum and Dad's wedding? I was there, too."

"Really?" He perked up some as I went to grab the picture I'd "borrowed" from my parent's room.

It was a beautiful summer wedding, somewhere off in a garden where the flowers sang wedding ballets to the bride and groom. They swayed in the background of the magical picture at the same pace as Mum's white wedding robes. Dad was standing next to her in fine emerald robes, one arm looped in hers and the other tickling me, in Ginny, my Mother's arms. Almost everyone from my parent's stories was there and Teddy and I could pick out most of the people in the picture ("Look! There's Luna!" "Hey, Teddy, that's your Dad! He looks so weird!" "Did you see yours by any chance?"), but there were some Teddy didn't even know.

"Look," I said, my finger coming to a beautiful woman; one I might have even thought as pretty as my Mother. She had bushy brown hair and soft caramel eyes and she was standing next to a very tall red head with broad shoulders and an arm around her waist, a little baby wrapped in a bundle in her arms. "Who's that?"

Teddy squinted his eyes, which he'd made purple for the occasion, and said, "I don't know." I looked at him in shocked horror. Teddy always knew everything, or at least, it seemed that way to me.

There was a loud _thunk_ of a knock at my bedroom door and both of us toppled over each other to try and reach its knob first. Teddy won, and there in the doorway were most of my cousins.

"Hi James!" said Victoire. She was the oldest of my cousins, being only a year younger than Teddy. After her there were Dominique and Molly, who were three years older than I. Lucy was a year older than me and Louis a year younger, but he acted like one of us older kids so we didn't mind having him around. Mum had said that Roxanne and Fred couldn't make it because they'd gotten a bad case of something that makes your skin go purple and be able to hiccup strange things.

I quickly went to showing them the picture and asking all of them if they knew who the mysterious woman was. At first, all of the girls hovered over the picture like me and Teddy had done before and giggled about the girl's pretty dress robes ("I like her dress!" "I think aunt Ginny's is prettiest, though." "Have you seen the yellow one?"), and how hansom all the boys looked ("Uncle Harry looks great!" "Look at Teddy's Dad! He got old fast because there he looks like a Prince."). Louise, Teddy and I waited for them to finish before bringing up the matter at hand. Unfortunately, none of them seemed to know the answer either, but we did get some promising leads.

"That must be her husband." Victorie's pretty finger pointed to the tall red head. She had the biggest influence of Aunt Fleur's Veela blood in her. "He looks a little bit like Uncle Charlie, don't you think?"

"He must be a Weasley!" Molly declared instantly, glasses jumping slight in being eager to please. She had square glasses like uncle Percy used to wear and straight caramel brown hair like Aunt Audrey has.

Dominique shook her head, red bangs falling slightly over her blue eyes. "Don't be so full of yourself, Molly! Just because he looks a little like Uncle Charlie doesn't mean he's related to us."

"Dominique," Victoire warned, "remember what Mum said." The younger girl scowled some, but said nothing. I knew that she and Molly didn't get along very well. Their mothers were like that too, Audrey and Fleur, and even Mum talked about how everyone in the family is usually annoyed with Percy. I feel bad for my Uncle and his family sometimes; they don't visit very often.

Teddy thought for a moment. "Why don't you just ask them, James?"

"No!" everyone, including me but excluding Teddy, howled at once. I knew that with the mood Mum was in now that she wouldn't answer me, and that, if anything, I'd most likely get in trouble for stealing the picture. Dad was too busy saying hello to all the guests with Sirius for either of them to answer, even though they'd try to anyway, suddenly being dragged away by Mum.

"It's a real mystery!" Louis said excitedly. I thought he'd been too busy playing with a loose brick in the wall to hear. "I want to solve it!" He held his pale-skinned hand out and I gave him the picture. He looked at it closely. "Too hard." He said, and gave it to Victoire before going downstairs to be with his dad. Molly, after waiting until the boy left, rolled her eyes and sighed. Lucy, upon seeing her older sister do this, rolled her eyes and sighed as well.

"Well," Victoire began, "suppose he really was a Weasley." I saw Dominique scowl while Molly and her freckles smiled as she spoke. "And suppose he was that lady's husband." The rest of us, after a hesitant pause, nodded in understanding. "Than wouldn't that make that baby our cousin?"

Teddy's hair turned purple and he stood up; I noticed he looked taller than usual. "She's right! So, saying he was your cousin, he'd have to be about James' age, since the both of them are babies in this picture."

I watched as Molly chewed on the tip of a quill she'd brought with her. "That would be true, but for all we know, they could be dead, or have gotten lost in the floo network or something."

Again, there was a loud knocking at the door. Victoire and I scrambled to shove the picture back in the drawer as Teddy opened the door. My Grandmother Lily was there, holding Lily Luna with one hand and fixing the collar of my Dad's velvety emerald green dress robes with the other. She smiled over at us kids and laughed when she saw the last of Victoire and me's scramble, her red hair fluttering in a faint breeze that always seemed to rush through the House of Black.

"What have you two got to hide?" she joked, making Lily Luna giggle. At least she didn't look to be complaining about the dress anymore.

"Nothing!" I said franticly. My palms were getting sweaty and I was trying hard to keep a frightened look off of my face without much success.

Dad laughed and picked me up in his arms, swinging me around some. "You hungry?" he asked, pushing the bridge of my glasses up my pale nose. I grinned from ear to ear and nodded, letting him put me back on the ground. He turned to the others. "Come on now, dinner's ready."

Everyone bounded downstairs in a single file line because the hallways at Grimmauld Place are old and too narrow for us to walk in the mob that always seems to form when you're walking with family. I didn't mind though, because my Dad held my hand all the way down. He told me I was really scrawny like he was as a boy and tells me I should eat more.

They'd expanded the dinning room and its table temporarily for the party. Wand arranged bouquets of roses and Lilies as white as snow were hung on the walls, silky white sheets draped to make a banner form one to another fluttered in the house's invisible breeze. The ceiling was charmed to look like a flower garden from the sky especially for the occasion and I herd the girl's gasps of delight at the amazing sight ("Look Lucy! See the flowers on the ceiling?" "They're so beautiful."), and the walls that were full of picture frames with photos that moved from my parents wedding. I could see the brown-haired women in the background of a few of them; sometimes with the red head and sometimes just with the bundle. There was even one where her arm was lopped with my Dad's, the other arm being lopped by Luna Scamander; one of Mum's good friends.

It was then that I was forced to endure all the hair rustling, cheek pinching, back patting, and a wide variety of comments from all of my relatives. At least I didn't have to get picked up and tickled by all of them like tiny little Lily Luna did. I was very happy when I got to take my seat at the right of Dad at the table. However, I wasn't so happy at who was sitting to the left of me at the table; my Grandfather James.

He had the same unruly ebony black hair that refused to be brushed or jelled as my Father and I. Grandfather James slumped back in his seat, a glazed over and distant look, as though he were always caught in a memory, in his eyes. Whenever he was over, Dad tensed up and got angry easily. I was wary of him because it wasn't often he came over. Especially when Grandma Lily was here.

The only thing he said for a while as the others at the table who chattered excitedly about how long my parents have been married and such was a low, and almost sober request of, "Lily, can you please pass the bottle of red wine?"

I took in a breath of air and stopped eating because that's what Dad was doing at that moment and watched intently.

Grandma Lily frowned—she had never approved of drinking—and with much haste, seized the bottle from the table and into Grandfather James' slightly ajar hand. He held her fingers in his for longer than he should've, I was sure of that, but Grandma Lily swiftly slid them away once she'd noticed. Grandfather James' eyes stayed fixed on the bottle, occasionally turning it in his hand, until he decided it'd be best to pour himself a glass.

I looked over at Dad and saw the he too frowned. I once heard Mum say something about, "Harry doesn't fancy his father's fondness of alcoholic beverages," and wondered if my Dad would get angry.

"Dad, you don't have to drink the whole bottle," he said quietly, in a low, almost dangerous tone while watching my Grandfather filling the clear wine glass almost to the rim. It made me shiver.

We'd been so caught up with our own little exchange that we didn't notice that someone was at the door until I looked over at Mum whose eyes were glued on the front door. I watched silently as her hand went to my stern Father's shoulder, giving a light tug at his robe's fabric. The fear in her deep brown eyes was evident, as Dad looked her way, but I couldn't understand why.

Everyone at the table had taken to either watching my parents or keeping their ears and eyes pealed at the door for it shook occasionally and every now and then a sound that mocked human speech came from it's direction, although it was impossible to be certain since the heavy door was a whole narrow hallway away and most of the people about the table were lucky to get a partial view of it. Some were switching back and forth as not to miss any of the action like my Grandfather James.

My Dad got up, and I got up with him, but he only glinted over at me before continuing. I knew he wouldn't have told me to sit down already and Mum was in to much of a stunned horror to do anything but pierce through my back with her eyes as me and my father began to pass the long row of people at the table, of whom which all turned their heads when we passed; Grandma Lily, Sirius, Luna, Lorcan, Lysander, Rolf, Lavender, Dean, Remus, Nymphadora, Teddy, Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie… The list went on and on and made me all that more uncomfortable with each step. I felt the intense heat coming to me once more and I wished badly that I could just walk forward in a slow, constant pace with a broad and determined face as my Dad was doing at that moment.

After what seemed like hours of intense pressure and brutal heat did my Father and I reach the door. I hadn't seen it stir for a while and was beginning to think that they'd left, but suddenly, there was a faint tapping of a wand. It tapped on the center of the door and continued to do so until it stopped after the third stroke; each time a radiant blue light comparable to the sparks an _expecto patronum_ casting gave off. It was the customary knock for Order meetings. Although they weren't held often, I knew the code well, but I also knew that something such as this was never used for a simple get together. I herd my Dad's breath catch in his throat as he peered out of the one-way peephole. With a steady hand, he opened the door.

There she was. There standing in the slim doorway was the beautiful women who had been my focus in my parent's old wedding picture. The broad shouldered red head was next to her once more and I was almost certain he was a Weasley upon seeing his freckles and height in person. However, this time there was not a little bundle of joy in her arms. This time there was a boy my age taller than me by about four inches with the Weasley red hair and freckles and square glasses like Molly and Uncle Percy, except now he had a sister. A sister with bushy brown hair and buck teeth who looked to be about six, having no freckles and fairly pale skin at the moment.

"It's nice to see you again, Mate."

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**A Note From the Author: **PHEW! That took dreadfully long to write, you know! So you folks out there review and tell me what you think! _3Ella_

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_Please notice: this story has been beta edited by the lovely __**XTimeGirlX**__. Thank you, and please credit her in your reviews if you are going to praise for the story's grammar or proper spellings._


	2. Daytime Story

**Disclaimer:** To bad this isn't by J. K. Rowling, because maybe then it wouldn't be fanfiction anymore. A.K.A. I own nothing, except my squishy brain that plays with thoughts.

These Woven Hands by Luna Lovegood's Magic

Chapter Two  
Daytime Story

James Sirius watched with glossy eyes fogged over by a memory as Lily Luna stared back at him incredulously and with much annoyance.

"James!" He snapped out of his trance and looked at her, pushing the bridge of his glasses up his nose. "Mum and Dad were hardly even there! How's this supposed to answer my question?" Her pail skin tinted pink; the Weasley blood in her was never very far off.

James Sirius sighed heavily and put his head on one elbow, letting his other hand come to jab his raven hair like a pitchfork. "There're a lot of reasons why they divorced, Lily."

"And those people are one of them?" Lily Luna leaned back in her chair, her face easing into its usual cheerful self. James nodded. "But who are they?"

"You have to wait for the rest of the story," he knew for a fact this would further her slight temper, but for some odd reason, it didn't. He was feeling very off that day for some odd reason.

Her eyes grew wide and she grew hopeful. "Oh please tell some more!"

He laughed and got up, ignoring any past thoughts. "Alright, but I'm parched. Let's go and get some water."

Lily and James crept down the grand stone staircase of Grimmauld with light, steady-paced steps. They'd herd the large door of the house open sometime amidst their story telling and James knew that their Father had arrived back home from work. As usual, he'd warned Lily Luna to be as quiet as possible because he'd been sent out on an emergency call from the Auror team at around eleven o'clock the previous night; an hour or so after she'd fallen asleep.

"He was called out at eleven? PM?" she asked once they'd reached the kitchen. James Sirius nodded and opened a cabinet to retrieve two glass cups and a simple white coffee mug.

He began to set a pot of coffee on the stove. "Kingsley flooed him when he was just falling asleep and he barely had enough time to change." The stove's burner turned on and he smiled. "It's a good thing Mum and Dad put this muggle stove here. I'm not sure if I like the idea of cooking with magic."

Lily grabbed some ice out of the refrigerator (The magical kind that never stopped keeping your drink cool and that began to do so instantly) and dropped three cubes in each cup. "Poor Dad. I don't think I could ever be an Auror."

"I think it happens with any part of the Ministry." The coffee pot on the stove, although only have being set on its gas burner for about a minute, was fairly close to boiling He again thanked his parents for the heating charms they'd placed on it. "I mean, Uncle Percy's job has nothing to do with that department and he gets called over there for any reason at all."

"Yes," Lily began while filling the glasses with water from the tap, "but he's head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

"Dad's head of the Auror team. The only one above him is Kingsley and he can't go on as many missions as he used to, so Dad's basically in charge."

In defeat, Lily slid his glass across the counter to him. With one hand, he swopped it up and off of the cold stone and took a long sip of the suddenly freezing liquid. James coughed slightly.

"You know," they herd a third voice say. Both looked up from their water drinking and at the living room a small hallway away. "I can hear everything the both of you are saying."

James Sirius put down his glass of water as his father, still fully dressed in his Auror uniform, rose from his laying position on the couch. His hair was more disheveled than it had been yesterday before he left, so James assumed he'd come home and simply fallen limp on the couch, slumber overtaking him before his head even reached its cushioned arm.

Harry walked over to the kitchen and took in the scent of the coffee to be ready in a few seconds. "Smells good," he said.

"Good morning, Dad," Lily Luna replied cheerfully.

However, James was not so cheerful. In fact, the moment he raised the coffee, which was in a strange wizard pot looking of something to be used more so for potions work than coffee, he felt the hair on the back his neck stand on ends and his hands become clammy and shake.

Harry smiled softly at his daughter. "Good morning, Lily. What have you and your brother been up to?"

James watched Lily Luna's eyes twinkled as she began to ask, "Actually Dad, I was wondering if you knew who the brunet with the–" when she was suddenly interrupted by his scream.

The coffee, although having been removed from the stove, sprang over the rim and burned James Sirius' hand. He screamed from the pain and dropped the pot. It landed on the floor with a clank, but the coffee did not spill, for the pot had magical properties of always landing in a way that would not make it's contents spill whenever it was dropped.

Harry's wand was out faster than imaginable and with a quick chilling spell, James felt the throbbing from the burn in his hand subside for a few seconds with an icy piercing sensation taking its place.

"Lily, get some healing bomb from the medicine cabinet!" Harry ordered as though he were out on an Auror mission.

Lily's long red hair, which was tied in a long ponytail instead of her usual two, flapped in the invisible breeze of the manor as she ran for the closest bathroom's cabinet. As she passed by Sirius' room, which was closest to the front of the house, a groggy and in–need–of–a–good–shaving Sirius Black emerged, still in his winter flannel pajamas.

He stretched his arms out and yawned. "You lot 'ave to give a man a break," James herd Sirius faintly say and then yawn as he began to walk to the kitchen. " 'O's making all the ruckus?"

Lily Luna sprinted past him, her hand in slight pain and attention mainly focused on opening the jar of the potion. Harry took the now opened green jar and began to rub it over James' hands. His body relaxed after the slight sting the balm brought on that was replaced with his father's tender hands rubbing his own.

Sirius bent down to pick up the coffee pot as though nothing were going on; James assumed he was wondering where the _Daily Prophet_ was. Harry only glanced at him for a moment before shaking his head with a silent chuckle at his Godfather and finally removing his hands from James'. Seeing that Lily Luna had a slight scratch on her hands in her attempt at opening the jar, he rubbed the last of the healing balm on her palms.

"It's not like you to spill coffee like that, James," he listened as his Dad commented. "Are you feeling alright?" James Sirius nodded, grabbing a mug for Sirius even if he wasn't sure if he'd drink his coffee.

Lily Luna looked down at her healed hands and shrugged. "We're both just tired," she said in his defense. "Come on, James."

"Where are you two headed?" asked Harry, stepping over to the breakfast nook table where Sirius was looking out the window in hopes of seeing the owl that would bring the prophet. Harry retrieved the bundled parchment from the floor and gave it to him.

"I need her for an Arithmancy paper. I have to get someone to solve some basic problems." After, throwing his and Lily Luna's glasses in the sink, the two again ascended up the stairs back to the grand library.

Sirius poured his cup of coffee and frowned. "Now why would you have to write a paper for arithmetic?" He then took a long sip of his coffee, let out a large "ah" and smacking his lips before glinting over at Harry.

He was leaning against the counter, his mug half vacant of the hot liquid and a faint moustache of coffee on his face. His green eyes were frozen, skin ashen, and Sirius had to second guess himself in making sure that he was still breathing. "It tastes just like the coffee she used to make," he said blankly. With a look of coming close to tears in his eyes he faded off with, "My girl's coffee…"

Meanwhile, up in the library, James was already lost in continuing with the story, an expression mirroring his Father's below painted across his face as he spoke.

**

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**

I couldn't quite place the expression on my father's face at that moment. Maybe if I was older I could have seen it for what I later learned was, but I was just eight-year-old James Sirius Potter back then. No Albert Einstein and no Merlin.

"Ron? Hermione? Is it really you?" my Father asked in the faintest of tones. The thought must have been so incredulous to him.

The female, whom I now knew by Hermione, nodded, her messy brown ponytail bobbing up and down. She smiled warmly at him and exchanged a quick glance with Ron. "It's wonderful to see you again, Harry."

"I didn't even think you'd come!" My father said, obviously feeling his eyes were lying to him. "I mean, we haven't seen each other since…" Dad trailed off in thought, digging through his brain to find an exact date.

"Oh, Merlin knows when!" Hermione finished with a slight chuckle.

Ron walked to my Dad and clapped him on the shoulder. "Do you think I would miss a chance to see the man who shangged my sister silly?" He said laughing. My Father tinted a faint shade of pink, but he too broke into a grin.

"_Ronald!_" his wife snapped at him in a similar way to Nana Molly. So that was his full name. Ronald. "Not in front of the children." Hermione's eyes gazed down at me, the girl, boy, and other younger boy, who seemed a bit bored by the conversation unlike myself with my ears perked up and eyes livid from all the sudden revelations I was having. I didn't know what shangging meant, but it must have had something to do with us.

"Mum," the oldest boy tugged at his Mother's robes, "I want to see the others," he said simply, but I could see the anticipation clearly in his blue eyes. Ron came to ruffle his hair. The younger boy eagerly grabbing for his Father's free hand and brgan grinning broadly as though just standing next to his Father was just as good as being in his arms.

His features twisted themselves into a broadened smile as he said to his son, "Is that so? Well, first we have to go and meet your cousins. Imagine all the ruckus you lot 'll make!" He laughed at his own joke and cast a look at his wife and my Dad. "Coming?"

Hermione smiled, as they'd already started walking towards the dinning room without her answer. "In a minute," Hermione called to them, beginning to take off her white summer jacket. My Dad gently pulled it the rest of the way and hung it up for her. The girl looked down at her hands, her face covered by hair that was so frizzy, I thought maybe she'd just been walking in the rain.

"Don't mind him," she spoke in the absence of her Husband, "He just hasn't seen his family in so long."

My Father nodded knowingly, picking up scattered things like my little sister's tiny socks and his own Auror boots and glancing one over at the girl and winking. "I don't blame him," he said thoughtfully, "I haven't seen Mum and Dad,"—Grandmother Lily and Grandfather James—"for a while since today."

Her expression softened as she took out the wrinkles from her periwinkle blouse. "How are they?" she asked calmly.

"Same as always," he muttered and it was as though, in her silent nod, that she knew even more about my Grandparents then I did. There was a silence only to be disturbed by me stepping on a dog toy we had lying around to entertain Lily and Sirius when he decided to trot around as a dog to play with Lily Luna more effectively.

Hermione, felling a need to change the subject I assumed, looked over at me and grinned. "This is your oldest, right?"

"Yeah." He looked down at me, patting my back with his hand. "You're very quiet today, Jimmy. Go on then, introduce yourself to Hermione." He pushed me forward slightly and for a moment I just looked at her.

It wasn't hard to tell that she was a Mother. She held that caring look in her eyes that my Mum got whenever she played or fed Lily Luna. Her periwinkle blouse was of a light material with brown outlines of flowers. It retracted at the ends making it look poofy on her, which went well with the brown skirt she was wearing. Hermione was one of the few guests in all muggle's clothing. She stopped down on her knees and smiled at me.

"Hello there. I'm an old friend of your Dad's, Hermione Granger–Weasley." A Weasley! Ron was a Weasley! That meant that that boy and his brother were my cousins!

"My names is James Sirius Potter," I said for about the hundredth time that day, completely ignoring the hairs prickling on the back of my neck, "I'm Lily Luna's big brother."

Hermione chuckled. "Isn't that lovely? He's so polite, Harry. Just like you were." Her hand came up to ruffle my hair. I flinched slightly, waiting for the usual over-ruffle and nails clawing into my skull that almost all of my relatives gave me; leaving me looking like a mangy mutt. I was surprised when all her hand did was gently massage and comb through my ebony locks. She laughed at my shocked expression and stood back up just in time to see my Aunt Fleur come over to us.

I watched her whole face light up and she swept Hermione into a squeal-filled hug of, "Hermione!" She laughed too as her fingers grasped around Aunt Fleur's long, light blonde hair.

"It's so good to see you Fleur!" she exclaimed, completely forgetting about my Father and I. "You look lovely! How are the children? Victorie, was her name?"

Ever since I can remember, Fleur has always held an eternal youth to her. She didn't get wrinkles and gray hairs like some of the other adults. In fact, some days—like today—she looked even prettier then I remembered.

"Oh, Hermione, zey're wonderful!" She's gotten a lot better at her English since I was little, but she still has her squabbles of accents; especially when she's excited or anxious. Aunt Fleur even speaks lots of French still—especially to Victore.

Finding myself somewhat uninterested in Aunt Fleur and Hermione's conversation, I felt my eyes waver over to the girl that still remained. She had the same glazed expression her brother had had just moments ago, except she was somehow different from him. Unlike him, I thought that she was kind of pretty and that her insanely bushy hair was just a side effect of the day's strange weather.

I was beginning to wonder if it was the weather that was making everyone act so strange when Dad silently took hold of my hand, and, with a seemingly permanent look of tranquility, began to lead me to the dinning room that was now a buzz with conversation and coos. The girl followed behind.

"Oh look at him!"

"He's cute as a button."

"Do you think he'll be in Gryffindor?"

"He'd better be!"

All filled the air as we gazed upon the clan of people hovering over Ron and his son. He was getting it worse then I was! People were literally begging to pinch his cheeks until they were rosy red and all asking him twenty questions at once. The others still seated at the table were more caught in their amusement then their own curiosity of the boy.

I vaguely remember hearing Dad snicker some before he cleared his throat. "Let the boy breathe, Molly!" he told Nana good-heartedly as she was in the midst of giving the boy a bone-crushing hug and kissing his cheek. I'm glad I have the pale Potter skin so I don't flush like that.

"Sorry," she mumbled, reluctantly letting her Grandson go, "Nana just loves her Grandchildren dearly."

I caught a glint at Teddy and saw that his hair was now blonde, his suddenly brown eyes winking at me. My cousin Molly was sitting up tall and straight in her seat, smiling broadly, and peaking over her Mother, Audrey, to get a good glimpse at the now confirmed Weasley. Dominique stabbed at her carrots with a sour expression painted across her face.

I glanced over to Mum and saw that she was trying to get to Ron and his child. Her fingers tapped on at least a dozen people and tiny feet nearly stepped on a dozen robes, but with much haste did she make it. "Ron!" she said breathlessly, hopping over Andromeda, who scurried out of the way at the last moment.

"Ginny!" he said like a big brother talking to his little sister, grabbing Mum and ruffling her hair with his fist before leading her into a tight embrace. He swung her back and fourth and growled joyfully, then kissed her cheek. "How's Harry been treating you then?" he asked, finally releasing her from his grip.

To say Mother was surprised would be an understatement. Not only was the hair she'd spent an hour or two on that mourning ruined for the most part, but also was her precious dress ruffled and in much less of the grand state it had been in only moments before.

"F-fine!" was all that spilled bitterly out of her lips after her brown eyes twitched once or twice. "He's been treating me fine, Ron." She seamed to calm her reddening ears and cheeks with the breath or two she'd taken. "You and Hermione?" she asked timidly.

Ron grinned broadly, "Well I'm sure you know that by this bloke right here," he patted Arthur on the head, making it look more like a clunk or two what with his blink and slight flinch. "You remember Arthur, don't you? And Hugo?" he motions to the smallers boy hiding from the crowd behind his Dad.

"Of course," said Dad, butting into the conversation, "How could we forget?" I could see that he was a bit more concerned with Mum's uneasiness, slightly peeking out of the corner of his eye at Hermione and Andromeda who were talking like two old friends meeting once again. "Where's Rose?"

"I'm right here," spoke Hermione's daughter, Rose. My Dad laughed and smiled at her knowingly before the others came to fondle over her as well.

I hadn't bothered to pay attention to the rest, as my full attention was now on Ronald Weasley. I knew that there were seven Wealsey children, since I'd figured out that Mum was the seventh of the seventh of the seventh when she'd casted a Patronus Charm some years ago on a Dementor to protect me. The dementor had given me a glimpse of a scene with my Mother in a frenzy of sadness and anger over the fact that she was the seventh of the seventh.

When I'd asked her about it, she'd simply scolded me and told me to forget about the dementors because they were back at Azkaban now. I didn't bother to ask Dad because Grandma Lily told me that he hadn't had such a pleasant encounter with dementors in his lifetime either.

I began to think about it when I realized that I only had five uncles: Uncle Bill, Uncle Charlie, Uncle Percy, and Uncle George. My Uncle Fred passed away when I was young at the end of the war, I'm told.

"Are you Mum's sister?" I blurted out of nowhere when Dad was in the middle of a sentence.

My Mother frowned. "James, you know better then to interrupt," she spoke chastisingly.

"Sure am, Jimmy," Ron said, completely ignoring his sister, who glared at him slightly. That meant that Molly's hunch about him being a Weasley was correct and that Arthur really was my cousin.

My Father, most likely seeing the tension present between the siblings looked about the room for a scapegoat and I watched as his eyes locked with Arthur's. "Hey, Arthur, you want to go and play with James up in his room while Hugo and I have some lunch?" he asked, his green eyes softening at the young boy.

Mum smiled proudly at Dad and all eyes turned to the young boy. He had a glazed, bored look in his eyes and square glasses like uncle Percy to cover them and make them look slightly more alert. Arthur's hair was as red as Grandmother Lily's and had the Weasley freckles to boot.

"Sure," he muttered disappointedly, I thought.

The eyes then turned to Rose. "Where is it?" she asked retorically.

I instinctively headed for the grand spiral staircase, not checking to see if Arthur was behind me or not. However, my suspicions were exceeded when a pair of feet quickly darted past mine and reached the fourth floor before myself. I gasped for breath as we had finished our silent race in sprint and I was wearing very heavy clothes in this heat, unlike him in his light summer robes.

I had to try hard to fight the glare that wanted to darken my features as he smiled teasingly at me. "Which room is yours?" he asked glancing down the long hallway of doors clammed tightly shut.

The third one on the right, I was about to respond, but my capability to utter sound was driven away from me when there was a loud calmer of what I thought to be much more ostentatious then needed to be from a boy who's father was second in command at the Auror department and just so happened to be Teddy's distantly related cousin by some means, Tom. He'd bumped into one of the corridor's pedestal and nearly knocked over one of the precious Black family heirlooms, causing the portraits of various prejudice members of the Black family that had been sealed many years ago to fervently rattle against the wall in their nearly inaudible cries of dismay. Luckily, however, Tom dove for the magical object and just barely managed to catch it and save the priceless treasure.

Behind me, Arthur jumped at all the sudden movement but I simply rolled my eyes. Typical Tom, I would have like to have told him, but I knew better and I didn't like to be a downer on the boy as he was my own age.

"Who are you?" demanded Arthur, stomping a foot in protest and moving in front of Rose as if to protect her.

Getting to his feet slowly, careful not t cause any more of a commotion, he replied, "Tom Black."

"His Mum was a Black," I interjected after turning my head to see Arthur about to protest about how inaccurate that would be or something like that, "but his Dad decided to give him the Black family crest." I mumbled just barely audible enough for Arthur to hear that, "It's just because he's family heir."

Arthur frowned. "Well, then who's his Mum? My parents have told me loads about the Black family and I've never once heard of anything so stupid before."

I was shocked. How could he say something like that? And what did Hermione and Ron know about the Blacks?

"Astraea is my Mother's name. It's the name of the Greek Deity for purity as in blood purity in the Black family," Tom said bluntly. I knew he was far from stupid and wouldn't let anything bad be said about his family, but was not expecting the remark about blood purity. He ran a finger through his silky black hair and smirked, as if challenging Arthur to doubt that.

"There is no Astraea in the Black family," snarled Arthur now glaring at Tom. I felt myself go uneasy as Tom glared back at him with his deep dark eyes in just as much loath. I've always found myself doing that whenever rows I had uncertainty about occurred.

I finally broke the glaring contest by suggesting that we go to my room and play some wizard's chess and that I had something to show them. I watched as both their aces lit up and Arthur raced behind Tom to my room, as he knew the house well. I didn't feel like walking in the heat as I was twice as sweaty as before and terribly thirsty, but followed them in a slow pace.

They already had the board set up and were setting up the pieces, muttering nasty things to one another in challenge. I sighed and decided to grab a book off of my shelf.

Even though our house had an extensive and lavish library, I insisted on having a large bookcase of my own in my room. Most of the books were muggle or about Quidditch, as most magical books startled me and I liked to read before I went to bed. I looked fondly at the bottom shelf were the children's books Mum and Dad used to read me sat, glancing mostly at the books in the _Just William_ series, my favorite. Rose had already cracked open a book called _Henry: The Dog With No Tail_, which was also another good one, and busied herself by reading.

"Oi! Jimmy!" called Arthur. My head snapped in the direction of the pair, "You said you've got something to show us. What was it?"

Tom snorted, "He just wants to see it because I'm winning. _Night to D4!_" he ordered, his little black night coming to a square occupied by one of Arthur's white pawns. The night took his sward from its holder at his side and slashed the pawn twice, watching it crumble. Arthur glared at him and whipped the remains of his piece to the side with the rest.

I nodded. "Yeah, I do." I leap for my drawer and grabbed the photograph, smiling at the tiny moving people. "Look," I placed the picture in front of them.

Arthur squinted at the figures looking back at him and was about o say something when he noticed his parents. I watched as his breath caught in his throat and his finger traced his Mother. Rose, possibly noticing this as well, set the book down and crawled by the photograph.

"What is it?" I asked.

He looked away from me, trying hard to fight his flushing skin. "My parents," he said, "they look so happy. They're almost never that happy together."

I smiled sympathetically at him and remembered Hermione scolding Ronald for saying the word shangging around we kids. My parents quarreled, but in hushed tones and when they thought Lily Luna and I were out of sight.

Rose picked it up in her hands and glanced at it quickly before putting it down. "The baby in the bundle is you, Arthur," she explained and he again briskly glanced at the photo.

I noticed Tom looked unimpressed and he was about to say too until there was a loud knock at the door. We all jumped a little and I quickly attempted at shoving the picture in my coat pocket as the door creaked open.

Lily Luna was the first to poke her head in. Her rosy cheeks brightened and she ran towards my fumbling and I. "I wanna see!" she squealed happily.

"See what?" asked a pair of familiar voices. Victorie and Hermione sheepishly exchanged a glance and came towards us. Lucy, Louise, Molly, Dominique, Teddy, and a few others who had not been there before filed into my room.

Lily giggled. "Mummy and Daddy!" I reluctantly relinquished the photograph to my sister who hugged it to her chest, swaying back and forth as she did so.

Hermione laughed and bent down to her level. "May I see?" The others poked their heads behind her, most of whom knowing what Lily was holding.

She shyly handed the picture to Hermione and pointed to the wrapped bundle in my Mother's arms and told her, "Me!"

I felt myself tense and a tiny green monster crawl through me as Hermione looked at the picture admiringly. It was upon rarity that I ever got jealous, but it was still very hot, and I was growing increasingly uncomfortable. "_Me,_" I told her pointedly.

"No, _me!_" Lily stomped her foot and huffed and I herd Tom and a few others stiffen giggles.

Hermione smiled and gently patted her head. "No sweetheart, its your brother. We'll find one with you later." Even though she pouted, I knew she was satisfied for the most part, as Lily stuck to messing with the little pieces on the chessboard to Tom's dismay.

Her head snapped suddenly to my bookshelf. "My Merlin…" she muttered, getting up in a trans and walking with even paced steps to my collection of books. I watched closely as her eyes darted from one shelf to another, scanning all the titles. Hermione laughed once or twice, but I wasn't sure why. "Quidditch books," she answered my confusion, "You're so much like your Father; you know that?" Her finger pulled out a book called _James and the Giant Peach_—one I hadn't read yet. "But muggle books? I didn't think you'd have any. There are very few wizards who still like the muggle ways of doing things now more then ever. But is suppose you get that from Harry as well." She smiled, "Too many bad happenings with books before."

"Are you famous?" asked Violet Finnigan, the daughter of my parent's old school friends Lavender Brown and Seamus Finnigan. She had huge and perky blue eyes as she waited for a reply.

Hermione flushed sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck. "I suppose so…" she mumbled, "But I'm really just a Mummy like Lavender or Ginny." The others nodded knowingly and I noticed that she was still holding _James and the Giant Peach_.

Observant little Lucy must have too, because they she asked, "Are you going to read us a real muggle book?" Rose also nodded in excitement, her eyes lighting up a little, but not in quite the same way as Hermione's.

Hermione took the only clear spot on the bed and smiled at all the eyes now on her. "I could," she told them, "Do you want me to?"

"Yes!" chorused a few of us back to her.

The faint smell of an unopened book filled the enclosed room as her voice rang out amongst we children, "_Until he was four years old, James Henry Trotter had had a happy life. He lived peacefully with his mother and father in a beautiful house beside the sea. There were always plenty of other children for him to play with, and there was the sandy beach for him to run about on, and the ocean to paddle in. It was the perfect life for a small boy._"

My back was pressed up against the old wallpapered wall farthest from the door in my room. I'm told I reside in what used to be Regulu Black's room, but it didn't matter much to me back then. Lily Luna's long red hair was getting sticky on my face—she was leaning on my side, listening to the story—and I was growing increasingly annoyed by it, as my own hair was enough of a burden.

The lights on the ceiling looked to be coming out of focus on the edges and sent more heat down to me then I remembered, aside from the window that made my forehead plentiful with sweat.

"_Then, one day, James's mother and father went to London to do some shopping, and there a terrible thing happened. Both of them suddenly got eaten up (in full daylight, mind you, and on a crowded street) by an enormous angry rhinoceros which had escaped from the London Zoo._" Hermione's voice rolled on. A few of the girls gasped, but said nothing. Arthur's sister looked slightly saddened even through Arthur seemed to be showing only little interest.

My bum shifted uncomfortably in its spot, Lily Luna detaching her self from me and scowled in my direction at the discomfort she was now feeling. I fiddled unsuccessfully with the button on my cloak, which was now tied much to tightly around my neck for anyone's liking. My stomach ached from not eating and I desperately wished I hadn't abandoned the plate of soup I'd been given.

"_Now this, as you can well imagine, was a rather nasty experience for two such gentle parents. But in the long run it was far nastier for James then it was for them. Their troubles were all over in a jiffy. They were dead and gone in thirty-five seconds flat. Poor James on the other hand, was still very much alive, and all at once he found himself alone and frightened in a vast unfriendly world. The lovely house by the seaside had to be sold immediately, and the little boy, carrying nothing but a small suitcase containing a pair of pajamas and a toothbrush, was sent away to live with his two aunts._"

"Water," whined Lily as her soft hand tugged at my robes. Her green eyes were glossed over and lips capped, only making her innocence widen and my refusal to comply all the more hard to make. I looked down on her in pity and began to rise.

I found my ears unable to part from the story, but my back pressed up against the wall in an attempt to keep me from falling back down. My hands miserably looked for some kind of support, settling for the windowsill. Teddy and Tom were eyeing me closely, but I didn't have time. I was a boy on a mission—a noble night seeking a rejuvenating beverage for his even nobler younger sister—and I wasn't about to let a migraine and inability to walk properly stop me.

With every ounce of strength I could muster up, I staggered to the door, nearly tripping over Molly's feet as I hopped the last twenty centimeters on one foot, stumbling over to myself to get to the door. It was only until then that I noticed that the reading had stopped.

"Jimmy?"

I whipped my head around to find the book closed over Hermione's hands and the rest of the eyes in the room on me. "Water," I told them, "Lily Luna wants some water."

The world around me was a black clotted haze as I turned back towards the door. Although I did it in less then 2 seconds, the dizziness I found myself in a state of made it feel like a decade. Then came the insufferable sound of the doorknob wriggling because of someone trying to get in on the other side that blasted through my ears.

I barely had any time to see my Father's face before I blacked out. When I woke up ten minutes later, they told me I'd fainted, I was not surprised.

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**A Note From the Author:** Another chapter, another hope for another review. I hope you all do read the story and choose to review! I know it was much longer than the last, but the first chapter is usually shorter than all of the rest.

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_Please notice: this story has been beta edited by the lovely __**XTimeGirlX**__. Thank you, and please credit her in your reviews if you are going to praise for the story's grammar or proper spellings._


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